Large grass fire calls area fire departments to action

By Daniel Arens

If residents of Hazen and Beulah who live north of Highway 200 went to community churches Sunday, they were likely met with billowing smoke as they drove back toward their homes.
Luckily, the grass fire did not cause any injuries or damage homes, as five fire departments were able to gather and contain the flames within the fields where they started.
More than 50 members of the Beulah, Hazen, Zap, Golden Valley, and Stanton fire departments, as well as other emergency responders, were called out to the fire, located one-and-a-half miles north of Highway 200 between Hazen and Beulah, at 12:20 p.m. The responders remained until 7 p.m. In total, roughly 400 acres of land burned.
No one was evacuated from their homes during the day. The fire approached the residence of Bill and Penney Sauter, but was contained by firefighters west of the road which passes west of that home.
Although the Sauters did not need to evacuate their home, an early scare that the flames could force such an evacuation led the family to pack for about 20 minutes in preparation for departure.